Ben Roethlisberger believes Steelers have major concern that could ruin 2025 season

The Pittsburgh Steelers participated in one of the most exciting games of Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. It was an anxiety-filled 60 minutes of football that could have gone either way. The New York Jets had a much better offense than some expected them to have, but it was Mike Tomlin's team that came out of it with a 34-32 victory. There was a lot to make fans in the Steel City optimistic, but there were also certain inconsistencies that popped up, leading to some worries. A lot has to be improved upon with Week 2 on the horizon.

It was very encouraging to watch Aaron Rodgers turn back the clock and look like his MVP-self. The veteran threw for 244 yards, which included four touchdown passes. It's not likely that the Steelers will get that kind of performance every week, but if he can remain efficient and protect the football, Pittsburgh may have a much better offensive unit than some anticipated.

One of the worries following the win over the Jets was the offensive line that was put in place to protect Rodgers. He was sacked four separate times and his blindside blocker, Broderick Jones, was responsible for three of them. That is not the kind of performance that will make individuals like Tomlin very happy, as the head coach noted after the game.

Someone who knows a little something about getting beat up on the football field is future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The retired legend often gives his opinions on the current state of the franchise via his podcast, "Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger," and did so again on the most recent episode. He has a significant concern for Rodgers that could end up being very detrimental to the team as a whole.

"I am very encouraged by the way Aaron played," Roethlisberger said. "My concern is going to be, moving forward, can Aaron take a beating like that every week? Not at that age, because some of those, even when he didn't get sacked, he got hit so hard, he came off the ground, and he's 40-something, and that's not good."

Roethlisberger knows what it's like to play football well into his late 30s, so he absolutely understands how much of a toll it takes for someone like Rodgers to get hit like he did on Sunday. Connecting the dots, it's pretty simple: If the Steelers can't find a way to keep Rodgers upright, he is going to become more sore as each week passes and potentially even end up suffering an injury. As Roethlisberger mentioned, that's not good.

The Steelers took a step in the right direction on Sunday, but the offensive line has to play better. The defense shocked fans when it allowed 32 points; however, that's not expected to be a consistent theme. For the offense, though, Rodgers needs to remain healthy for it to click. That was made abundantly clear when he put on a phenomenal performance versus the Jets.

It's easy to argue that the most important position in all of sports is quarterback. Pittsburgh seems to have finally found one in the post-Roethlisberger era (albeit on a short-term basis) that has the ability to take everyone that is a part of the unit to the next level. It will eventually catch up to Rodgers however, if he's being sacked and hit several times each week. That's not something anyone can magically recover from, especially because Father Time exists for a reason.

Pittsburgh Steelers won't be afraid to take action on offensive line if poor play continues

Pittsburgh has not hidden from the fact that the goal in 2025 is to win a Super Bowl. There have been countless transactions made to suggest this, so whether it is Jones, or another lineman, Tomlin will be expected to make big changes if Rodgers continues to get pummeled on a weekly basis. For now, fans can be excited about the firepower Rodgers brings, but it will be critical to keep a close eye on the big men up front, or the entire season could be flushed down the toilet.